20 Hours for 20Talk National Campaign
20 Hours of Silence. A Lifetime of Impact.
On March 29th, 2024, something extraordinary happened inside a warehouse in Claremont.
By sunrise, 250 young people had stepped into 2x2 metre squares. No phones. No talking. Just themselves, their thoughts, and the uncomfortable but powerful quiet of self-reflection. For the next 20 hours, they would sit with what most of us spend a lifetime avoiding: themselves.
This was 20 Hours for 20Talk—a national mental health challenge like no other.
Across the day and into the night, the silence gave way to transformation. People journaled their first honest thoughts in years. Some cried. Some laughed. Many described it as the first time they had felt completely present. When the gongs rang and the 20 hours ended, there was an eruption of applause, tears, and the kind of shared relief that only comes from doing something deeply hard—and deeply human.
A Community Movement, Not Just a Charity Event
We didn’t know what to expect. But what happened inside that warehouse was unforgettable.
Not only did 250 participants raise over $250,000 for youth mental health, but the energy and community created was unlike anything we’d seen before. Strangers left as friends. People reconnected with themselves. And young Australians realised that taking their mental health seriously didn’t have to mean doing it alone.
It’s hard to describe the feeling of 20 Hours unless you were there—but you can catch a glimpse of it in our official recap video here. Watch it and you’ll understand why participants are calling it “the most transformative 24 hours of my life.”
So What Comes Next? A National Vision for 2025
This wasn’t just a one-off.
In 2025, we’re scaling the challenge nationally—bringing 20 Hours for 20Talk to Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, with the goal of engaging 1,000 participants and raising $1 million for mental health.
That money goes directly into our flagship programs:
Mental Health Maintenance courses in universities and TAFEs
School screenings and youth storytelling projects like our Chasing Calm documentary
And a full content studio in Fremantle creating viral, youth-led mental health media
Each 20 Hours event will remain rooted in what makes it powerful—no tech, no distractions, no hiding—but scaled to bring in hundreds of new participants and fund life-saving work across the country.
We’re not here to throw another gala dinner. We’re here to build a cultural movement around self-awareness, silence, and strength.
Why Silence?
We’re living in the most connected, overstimulated era in history—and yet young people have never felt more anxious, more lost, or more alone.
The research backs it up. In Western Australia alone, 1 in 4 university students experience mental health challenges each year, and suicide remains the leading cause of death for young people under 30. It’s confronting. And it’s exactly why we created 20 Hours.
This isn’t a flashy gimmick. It’s a raw, honest invitation to stop, reflect, and reconnect. Because healing often starts in stillness—and 20 Hours is proof that even one day of silence can create a lifetime of impact.
How You Can Join the Movement
Whether you're a young person looking to challenge yourself, a company ready to support a cause that matters, or just someone who believes in the power of doing things differently—we want you in.
Here’s how you can get involved:
Register for one of our 2025 events in Perth, Sydney, or Melbourne
Sponsor a participant or donate to someone’s challenge page
Partner with us as a brand or employer and be part of something unforgettable
Spread the word—share the recap video and tell someone about what we’re building
Because when 250 people choose to sit in silence, they’re not being quiet.
They’re making noise in the most powerful way.
And this is just the beginning.